There Are Angels And Vampires - One Group Kills Creativity

At 48 it took me a long time, in fact too long to discover Angels and Vampires and the effect they have on my life and most of all on my creativity.

You may have met many of both types in your life and wondered why certain projects or your entire life took particular directions - knowing which is which and then making sure you surround yourself with Angels can transform your creative output, in fact it can chnage your life. I’ll start with the negative and then the positive.

VampiresVampires suck the blood out of you, they are the kind of people that after being with then you feel completely drained. Let me be clear, they come in all shapes and forms, some of them come disguised as creatives. Some are cynics and want to be negative about everything, some vampires are just too much like hard work, it’s all about them, what they need. They use the word ‘me’ a lot in conversation. Some vampires, especially those in creative industries seem not to be able to have a normal day. They are always talking about the famous person they met or the amazing project they are in the middle of - you never catch them off to the store to buy a box of cereal. Vampires have very little real sincerity, their gratitude is normally to do with something they need from you. Vampires are takers.

AngelsAngels light up your life when they come into it, they leave you feeling better for having them around and you are refreshed by their presence. Angels also come in all sorts of forms, some are quiet and very private, some are incredibly big personalities like my dog Wurly. Angels inspire you, help you believe that you can do better, that giving up on the song, album, video is not an option. Angels are like coaches who ride alongside you encouraging you to go another mile, to reach the goal. Angels make you smile, fill you with creative thoughts and never stop believing in you or your ideas, however mad they may be. Don’t get me wrong Angels are not sycophants, they don’t always agree with you, sometimes they disagree with you, but even then they remain agreeable. Angels are givers.

As I said at the start of this article it took me until about 4 years ago to learn this lesson - I do hope many of you are half my age and can learn it sooner. If you see a vampire then my advice is run in the opposite direction. Until you do then your creativity will be stifled.